Protest held after Volusia deputy shoots, kills man

Derek Cruice shot dead as deputies served search warrant in Deltona

DeLAND, Fla. – Several people gathered Friday to protest the death of an unarmed man who was shot in the face and killed earlier this week by a Volusia County deputy.

[FOLLOW:  Updates from Local 6 reporter Mark Lehman | PHOTOS: Protest]

About 25 people began the protest after 7:30 a.m. in DeLand before marching to the Volusia County Sheriff's Office.

Derek Cruice, 26, (pictured below) was killed early Wednesday after being shot in the face while deputies served a search warrant at his Deltona home.

The Volusia County Sheriff's Office said Deputy Todd Raible, 36, shot and killed Cruice when he was met with resistance as he entered the home.

The protesters posted a list of demands, including wanting Raible to face formal charges, an apology from the Sheriff's Office to Cruice's family and a policy change in connection with raids geared toward non-violent suspects wanted on marijuana charges.

The incident remains under investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

A man who was inside the home said the shooting happened in a matter of seconds.

"A bunch of guys came around the corner and they're pushing me down," said Matthew Grady. "As I'm going to the ground a gunshot went off."

Steve Cochran, who was also inside during the shooting, said Cruice was unarmed and did not resist.

Derek Cruice.

"Nobody resisted. There were no weapons," said Cochran. "Nobody was making any kind of resistance or trying to keep anybody from doing their job."

Deputies said 217 grams of marijuana, a scale, a drug ledger and about $3,000 in cash were found inside the home.

Raible was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, which is standard procedure.

On Wednesday, Sheriff Ben Johnson said the full details of the investigation will be revealed once the FDLE investigation is complete.


About the Author:

Mark Lehman became a News 6 reporter in July 2014, but he's been a Central Florida journalist and part of the News 6 team for much longer. While most people are fast asleep in their bed, Mark starts his day overnight by searching for news on the streets of Central Florida.